No trust for Google search and the power it wields

Back in June 2011 we asked if you trusted Google search to return the best objective results. The poll results indicate that the majority does not, but they do worry about the power that gives the company.

The question stemmed from the announcement that Google was under formal investigation by the Federal Trade Commission for violations of federal anti-trust laws. The overarching question was whether manipulating search results really constitutes anti-trust behavior rising to the level of an FTC investigation? I suggested that perhaps it was just an indication that we should try different search engines.

For the poll questions, I went straight to the heart of the matter: is Google that powerful and do you trust them. The poll results were yes, powerful and no, Google cannot be trusted. Yet, when I have asked before which search engine TechRepublic members use it is Google by a huge margin.

How do you explain the dichotomy? Why use Google search if you do not trust the accuracy of the results?

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About Mark Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.

Full Bio

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.